Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services was called to Columbian Towers at 277 Northern Ave. E., at about 6:40 p.m.

Firefighters could see flames from the window of an eighth-floor apartment, said platoon chief Chris Gillespie.

The building's superintendent went to the apartment, saw “heavy smoke” and found a man in a wheelchair inside. He removed the male and closed the door, containing smoke and fire to the unit, prior to firefighters arriving.

Paramedics checked the resident. He was not hurt.

The fire caused a “fair amount” of damage to the kitchen area.

Canadian Red Cross found short-term housing for the resident.

Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is investigating the blaze.

“It was pretty straightforward what had happened, but we just had to make sure,” said Gillespie.

Gillespie applauded the superintendent's efforts, meeting firefighters, telling them what was happening, providing a master key to the apartment where the fire was located and offering a list of tenants who were in wheelchairs.

“He was instrumental in making sure that everything went smoothly,” he said.

The fire department starting offering an education course for superintendents of high-rise apartment buildings in 2017.